MAINTAINING YOUR POND

Graham R. Noble

MY ADVENTURES WITH
A GARDEN POND

Finding our front lawn very dull, we thought that a garden pond would be a good idea. Even though I had no idea how to make one, I impulsively decided to give building our own a try.

First, we went to our local sand and gravel merchant and ordered a huge truck full of rocks, most of them large boulders. With local delivery, we got the whole lot for $60. A neighbor with a backhoe agreed to dig out the pool for $75 and move the rocks around. The 12 x 6 yard hole in the front lawn was kind of a "figure eight" shape and about 30 inches deep.

All the dirt from the hole went in two mounds around the big rocks, leaving the rocks we could move ourselves at the edge of the pool. It was now time to make the pool waterproof. Ready-mix was way over our budget, since it would have to be 4 inches thick and full of re-bar if it was to stand our -30°F winters.

Looking at our driveway after rain, the large pools of water convinced us that Tarmac would be the answer, so we went ahead and had it Tarmaced. But it just didn't work, and all the water drained away. It was like trying to fill a sieve. After 2 or 3 tries, the Tarmac people gave us our money back — and said they would stick to driveways in the future.

So now we were stuck with a beautiful looking but empty black pool that wouldn't hold water. Then we heard about "Montana Mud," which was supposed to seal any leak. So we spread it over the Tarmac and filled the pool. Again it didn't work. We were starting to get depressed about the whole affair. when we had the brain wave of using a large tarp that had to be waterproof. We found a large blue one for $100, and covered it with a commercial landscape fabric held down by the rocks. That was six years ago, and it hasn't leaked yet.

With the surplus rock providing a lovely edge for the pool, we were ready for the bridge. We looked at a lot of different designs and finally chose an oriental look. By the time we finished-fish, lily pads. bridge, pool, and all-the cost was less than $600.

The pool gives us constant joy. It is never idle: birds bathe, dogs drink, cats fish, and neighborhood kids play endlessly-now there's always something happening when we look out.

Editor's Note: For those of you interested in building the pond bridge pictured here, detailed building plans can be ordered through MOTHER'S Bookshelf and Building Plans. The cost is $15 plus shipping handling.